After retiring from acting in 2001, Lloyd continued to make appearances at sci-fi and comic-book festivals.[8] In 2012, he announced that he was directing a documentary highlighting the Tibetan refugees in India, who are attempting to escape persecution by the Chinese government.[9] Lloyd was commissioned in 2012 to create a promo for singer Mallory Low's song, and Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones actor Daniel Logan, who played Boba Fett in that film, was cast as the star in his video.[10] Lloyd left Hollywood for Chicago, and dropped out after a semester at Columbia College Chicago, where he studied film and psychology.[8]

In 2012, Lloyd explained that his decision to retire from acting in 2001 was due to bullying at school. As a result, he decided to no longer keep all owned Star Wars memorabilia.[8] On June 17, 2015, Lloyd was arrested in South Carolina under the name Jake Broadbent for reckless driving, driving without a license, and resisting arrest.[11][12][13][14] After serving a 10 month jail sentence, Lloyd was transferred from jail to a psychiatric facility after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia.[15] In July 2018, his 26-year-old sister Madison Ellen Lloyd Broadbent died of natural causes.[16]